1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a farrier's stand and, more particularly, to a unitary, three-legged stand which safely and efficiently supports the hoof of an animal in an open, elliptically-shaped cradle.
2. Background Information
Maintaining animal hooves is an exacting art involving considerable physical labor including raising and holding the hoof, usually between a farrier's legs, while preparing and fitting the hoof with a shoe. The work may also include pulling nails, filing, cutting and hammering. The farrier works with the knowledge that mistakes made during the process may disable the animal. Farriers are confronted with horses which tend to lean on the shoer, or may be startled or disturbed by the shoeing operation or environmental conditions.
The prior art in this area seeks to reduce the farrier's burden. However, prior art stands are plagued with problems. Some stands are mounted on large heavy blocks, restricting use and portability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 120,119; 124,452; and 1,270,204, all teach some kind of physical strap or clamping member to restrain the animal's hoof on the stand. This stand can be extremely dangerous if the animal becomes excited and bolts or jumps with its leg strapped in the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,653, seeks to avoid the "trapped hoof" problem by providing an adjustable constraining apparatus operated by the farrier's foot. This device still lends itself to trapping the animal's hoof. Further, the stand has multiple parts increasing manufacturing costs and maintenance costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,869 discloses a collapsible stand which does not retain the animal's leg. However, the stand contains several complicated springs and assemblies and depends upon a relatively fragile physical relationship between two parts to properly support a horse's hoof. The stand is supposed to adequately support the horse's hoof during various care operations, and to easily collapse if the animal lifts its hoof off of the stand. Thus, if the animal chooses to life its hoof and reset it more comfortably, the stand tends to collapse requiring the farrier to reset the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,216 illustrates a multipurpose stand for accommodating hoofed animals. This stand, while simple in construction, is unstable. It is meant to be easily tipped over into one of two different working positions. Thus, during use it may easily be flipped inadvertently.
Therefore, there exists a need for a farrier's stand which is lightweight for transport, stable, and trap-free. In addition, the stand must be manufactured from minimum parts to ensure minimal manufacturing and maintenance cost.